Gaseous fuel



Pasta Dec. 15, 1925.

UNITED STATES JOHN tuners, or CLEVELAND, OHIO.

Gaseous FUEL.

No Drawing.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, JOHN HARRIS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Cleve- ,land,in tl ie,co1intyof Cuyahoga and State 5 of Ohio, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Gaseous Fuel, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to gaseous fuels,

and more particularly to a gaseous fuel which, when used in combination with oxygen, is especially adapted forthe purpose of cutting metals.

It is the general object of the invention I to produce a gaseous fuelwhich is relatively inexpensive, which will enable the cutting operation to be performed in a most efficient manner, and wlth the use of a gas which is ordinarily readily obtainable.

I prepare a gaseous fuel by which the foregoing general object may be realized by saturating or impregnating natural gas with ordinary commercial ether. The most convenient manner in which this saturation or impregnation may be accomplished is by introducing into a cylinder containing about 200 cu. ft. ofnatural gas, about one to two pounds of commercial ether. When the devery valve from such a tank is opened, the

natural gas, impregnated with the ether, will be supplied to the blowpipe and the latter may be operated with oxygen in the usual manner.

When the ether is added to and mixed v with the natural gas in the manner set forth hereinbefore, the resultant gaseous fuel will I consist of approximately 97 to 95 parts by volume of natural gas, to approximately 2 to 5 parts by volume of ether vapor.

The advantage of my fuel mixture is that the ether increases the flame temperature andfthe heat units of the natural gas. Furthermore, by reason of the fact that it lowers theignitmg point of the natural gas,

the mixture can be used with ordinary blow- Eipe tips, without danger of the flame being lown ofi such tips, as is the case where natural gas is attempted to be used without dilution. with such heavier hydrocarbon- Application filed December 6, 1923. Serial No. 678,807.

tips intended fo burning natural gas have to be provided lwith special cups for the prevention of thi blowing but'or blowing off of the preheatin flame.

By the use of my invention, the natural gas can now be'used with the same facility as ordinary cutting gases, but at much less cost and with greater efiiciency.

Where one pound of ether is employed with a cylinder of gas, the resultant gas will realize all of the advantages set forth hereinbefore; where two pounds .of ether are employ ed with a cylinder of gas, a correspondingimcrease in flame temperature and heat units will be realized, with'a corresponding increase in the speed of cutting, and the igniting-point will be further-lowered, thus insuring the maintenance of the flame at the blowpipe tips Without liability of being blown off. Furthermore, with the higher limit or larger quantity of ether, the gas is particularly useful for cutting heavy masses of met-alor dirty metal with great facility.

'While commercial or ethyl ether is preferred for admixture with natural gas, because of its richness in carbon and hydrogen. my invention contemplates the use of methyl ether, as well,'for such admixture.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is ,1

for

essentially of natural gas having mlxed t erewith vapor of ether, said vapor constituting not mate-' rially less than 2 by volume of the mixture and the natural gas constituting not materially more than 97 91; by volume of the mixture.

In testimony whereof, I hereunto aflix my signature.

JOHN HARRIS. 

